Division II Boys' Basketball State Tournament Recaps
Class A Championship
Providence Christian 60, BGA 48 · Saturday 6:30 PM
Providence Christian Academy claimed its second-consecutive Division II-A Boys Basketball Championship with a 60-48 victory over Battle Ground Academy. Nick Anderson paced PCA with 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting while adding four steals, and Christopher Washington Jr. controlled the boards with 15 rebounds to go with 13 points as the Lions finished its season at 29-6. PCA seized control in the second quarter with an 11-0 run that turned a tight 18-17 margin into a 31-18 advantage, eventually taking a 32-22 lead into halftime. The BGA Wildcats cut the deficit to six points twice in the fourth quarter behind Lawson Gillispie's team-high 17 points, but the Mustangs responded each time with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch. TJ Duke added 11 points for PCA, which shot 49 percent from the field and dominated the glass with a 31-20 rebounding advantage. BGA, which concluded its season at 31-8, received 10 points from Jake Harney and nine points from Lawson Lee but struggled from three-point range, connecting on just 4-of-18 attempts.
Class AA Championship
Briarcrest 62, JPII 52 · Saturday 1:30 PM
Briarcrest Christian (31-3) claimed the Division II-AA Boys Championship with a 62-52 victory over Pope Saint John Paul II at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. Josh Huggins led the Saints with 22 points, converting 12 of 15 free throws, while Fred Smith Jr. dominated inside with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The game turned decisively in the third quarter when Briarcrest, holding a slim 27-22 halftime advantage, exploded for 20 points while limiting JPII to just eight, building a 47-30 cushion. JPII (25-8) mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally behind Osby Cavin, who finished with a team-high 16 points including 14 after halftime, and a 9-0 run that cut Briarcrest's advantage to 51-49 with under three minutes remaining. Anthony Wiggins contributed 12 points for the Knights, hitting three second-half three-pointers during the comeback attempt. However, Briarcrest steadied itself at the free throw line down the stretch, with Spight and Huggins combining for six consecutive successful free throws in the final 2:32 to preserve the championship victory.
Class A Semifinals
Providence Christian 45, St. George's 41 · Friday 5:00 PM
Providence Christian survived a determined comeback attempt from St. George's to win 45-41 in a TSSAA Division II Class A Boys Semifinal at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. Christopher Washington Jr. led PCA with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Mikee Holloway added 13 points for the Eagles. Carson Crump paced St. George's with a game-high 19 points and Kamyrn Green contributed 12 points with 13 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome Providence's defensive pressure and rebounding advantage. Providence built a 7-point lead in the second quarter and maintained control throughout the second half despite St. George's rallies. The Gryphons cut the deficit to 2 points with 1:29 remaining on a tip-in by Green, capping a 6-0 run, but Providence answered at the free throw line as Holloway made one of two attempts with 33 seconds left to push the lead back to 3 points. Washington sealed the victory by making one of two free throws with 8 seconds remaining. Providence held St. George's to 29% shooting from the field and outrebounded the Gryphons 32-23.
BGA 61, Boyd Buchanan 57 · Friday 1:30 PM
Battle Ground Academy survived a back-and-forth semifinal battle to defeat Boyd-Buchanan 61-57. The game featured 11 lead changes and 11 ties and would not be decided until the final minute. Jake Harney, Lawson Lee, and Zander Holt each poured in 15 points to pace the balanced BGA attack, while Harney went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Boyd-Buchanan received 15 points from Caleb Hardaway, who also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, and 14 points from Ian Allen, who dominated inside during the third quarter with 8 points. The game turned in the fourth period when Battle Ground Academy outscored the Buccaneers 19-17, including clutch free throw shooting down the stretch. Christian Thompson hit a pair of free throws with 27 seconds remaining to push the lead to seven points and effectively seal the victory.
Class AA Semifinals
Briarcrest 75, Knoxville Catholic 72 4OT · Thursday 5:00 PM
Briarcrest Christian survived a quadruple-overtime thriller to defeat Knoxville Catholic 75-72 in a TSSAA Division II Class AA semifinal at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. Joshua Huggins delivered a heroic 32-point performance for the Saints, converting 18 of 20 free throws while playing all 52 minutes, and Fred Smith added 21 points with 12 rebounds as Briarcrest rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime. Cade Murphy led Knoxville Catholic with 23 points and six assists, while Travis Martin contributed 18 points in the losing effort. After regulation ended tied at 51-51, the teams traded baskets through three overtime periods before Huggins made two crucial free throws with 29 seconds remaining in the fourth extra session to give Briarcrest a 74-72 lead. Finn Kerschbaum's putback tied the game at 72-72 for Knoxville Catholic with less than a minute to play, but Huggins responded immediately with two more free throws. After Murphy's final attempt fell short, Smith sealed the victory with a free throw in the closing seconds. The marathon contest featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties, with Briarcrest shooting 44 percent from the field and converting 29 of 40 free throws compared to Knoxville Catholic's 47 percent shooting and 15 of 20 at the line. Briarcrest improved to 30-3 and advanced to the state championship game, while Knoxville Catholic's season ended at 24-7.
JPII 66, MBA 55 · Thursday 1:30 PM
Pope John Paul II advanced to the TSSAA Division II Class AA Boys championship game with a 66-55 victory over Montgomery Bell Academy at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville on Thursday afternoon. Senior guard Trey Pearson paced the Knights with 25 points and 7 assists in a commanding performance that saw Pope John Paul II improve to 25-7 on the season. The Knights seized control with a decisive run late in the second quarter, building a 9-point advantage, and never relinquished the lead thereafter. Hudson Curlee provided valuable contributions off the bench, connecting on three three-pointers to finish with 9 points, while Noah Wagner added 9 points and a game-high 7 rebounds. Pope John Paul II's perimeter shooting proved crucial, as the Knights connected on 8-of-17 attempts from three-point range (47%) and converted their turnover advantage into a significant scoring edge, outscoring MBA 16-6 in points off turnovers. MBA, which saw its season end at 19-10, received strong efforts from David Taft (16 points on 7-of-8 shooting) and Hart Weatherford (13 points, 5 assists), but the Big Red's 17 turnovers proved costly against Pope John Paul II's pressure defense. The Knights shot 52% from the field for the game and led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter before closing out the semifinal victory.